bonnie_webBonnie: Steve Blanco and Heidi Karlsen cooked up this take on an old Moroccan cookie in their New York City apartment. Steve’s mom had baked shortbread-style cookies called “sandies,” or (ghoribas in North Africa) that used semolina flour and butter or cooking oil.

Heidi — who had worked in restaurants and baked in natural foods stores – decided to experiment with the ghoribas to make them more nutritious. She substituted rye flour for the semolina, virgin coconut oil for the butter/cooking oil and added evaporated cane juice and sea salt to create these Sandcastles. My preference is for the Marzipan as I’m a sucker for its intense almond flavor. My second favorite: the Vanilla Black Sesame.

These cookies are vegan. They have a long list of what they don’t contain: There’s no wheat, refined sugars, trans fat, dairy, eggs or GMOs.

I first sampled Steve and Heidi’s Sandcastles at a food expo last month at the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP), whose conference was in New York City. Heidi and Steve were there, sharing their story and their tasty morsels.

BOTB BloggerBryan: I take heart in the story of the Black and Blanco cookie company. Much like the travel company I help run, this cookie company was born in a one-bedroom apartment in NYC. It makes me smile to see success coming from such a humble and authentic beginning. The company’s boutique cookies are Moroccan-inspired, drawing from one of the founder’s familial roots. The Vanilla Black Sesame is their take on a traditional family recipe, but also is a far cry from mom’s kitchen. Black and Blanco has created a far healthier version. These sandies are sans white flours and white sugars, which means you can eat thrice as many of them!

Black and Blanco cookies, called Sandcastles, were developed as an organic, wheat-free cookie using 100 percent locally sourced whole grain rye and organic extra virgin coconut oil. Sounds like a lot of care and crazy ingredients for one cookie, but you can really taste both elements, and it’s a good mixture. If you’re not a fan of coconut (I’m not!), the flavor can be a bit strong in the Marzipan variety, though certainly present in the Vanilla Black Sesame. Its essence is in just the right balance, making even a coconut hater like me want a second.

The Sandcastles are currently the company’s only cookie style, though I hope to see more emerge, as there are so many Moroccan treats to healthily emulate. Then again, why try to do too much when you’re doing one thing so well? The cookies feel like something I’d see in line at Whole Foods while waiting to pay. Heck, it’s an organic, wheat-free cookie. I’m not usually a fan of such things, but their rather original take on a traditional Moroccan “ghoriba” (or “sandie”) is quite an interesting treat. It’s not an overly sweet cookie and it is a bit dry, so it’s more suited as an accompaniment to tea or coffee than as a sweet fix. That being said, it does have a slightly addictive texture and flavor. I must say I’m a fan.

Organic, actually vegan, these cookies have no refined sugar, cholesterol, trans fats, dairy, preservatives or wheat. They are probably the only cookie you’ll ever try that is made from the combination of rye flour, a rich source of dietary fiber, and coconut oil, which does not contain any trans fats. Who doesn’t love a bit of nutrition with his or her sweets?

eric5Eric: Sand is a term I usually associate with cookies that are defined as gluten-free, and for good reason — most of those cookies taste, and feel, just like our favorite beaches. There is an unfortunate “grittiness” and “crumbliness” stigma that attaches itself to most wheat-free cookies. I say “unfortunate” because the concept of producing a “healthy” cookie is quite a liberating idea for most bakers.

It is subtly ironic that Black and Blanco decided to refer to its cookies as Sandcastles — in no way, shape or form do its cookies remind me of the standard sandy morsels that most companies produce. Aside from Black and Blanco’s cookies being wheat-free, they’re also vegan and full of original ideas, with the _coup de maître_ being the Marzipan. With a subtle coconut flavor and an underlying almond base, the Marzipan cookie is a surprise powerhouse of flavor.

Designed for health-conscious people and perfect as an addition to afternoon tea, Black and Blanco Sandcastle cookies are a welcome addition to a usually dull litany of “healthy” treats.